«'Fiennes has exceptional gifts, and he has written a small masterpiece, a tribute to the power of place, family and memory' — «Sunday Telegraph». William Fiennes' childhood was one of imagination and curiosity, bounded only by the horizon he saw from the roof-tiles of his ancient family home. His older brother Richard, known for his towering presence, his inventiveness, his great passion for Leeds United, and his suffering due to severe epilepsy, was an adored and charismatic figure in his life. Years later, eager to understand his brother's mind as fully as the ancient trees and secret haunts of his own journey towards adulthood, William Fiennes has written a profoundly moving account of his home, his family's care, and above all, of Richard. «The Music Room» is a luminous testament to the miracle of consciousness and to the permanence of love. 'On putting the book down I felt as if I had been hypnotised. It held me entranced, afraid and awed. All human grief and glory shimmers off the page' — Libby Purves, «The Times».»

The past is always there, shaping the future... Fen works in a bookshop and is devoted to her young son, Connor, but she keeps herself to herself. Haunted by guilt and a terrible secret, Fen lives a compromised life, isolated from her family, far from home and too afraid of the past to risk becoming close to anyone. She is constantly looking over her shoulder, waiting, watching, knowing that one day the truth will catch up with her. Sean, on the other hand, is enjoying a seemingly perfect life. He has a successful career, lives in his dream home and adores his beautiful wife, Belle, and their six-year-old daughter, Amy. That is until the day Belle announces she has found someone else and wants Sean to move out. As he realizes that everything he believed in was a lie, his life comes crashing down around him; he is losing everything that's important to him and he can see no way forward. Circumstance throws Fen and Sean together. Slowly their quiet friendship turns into something much deeper and the joy they find in one another eventually gives them the confidence to trust and love again. But will the past tear them apart just as they find happiness? Full of pathos, Missing You is a novel which perfectly encapsulates the nature of human frailty and is also a moving portrayal of the power of love.

Set in the darkest heart of Africa, in deepest Slovenia, in the melting pot of Chicago and in Hemon's native Sarajevo, this collection of linked stories crackles with humour, pathos and irrepressible energy. Recalling the surreal and salient experiences of a life — not least in the narrator's ill-fated expedition across Yugoslavia by night train to acquire a freezer chest and dispose of his virginity — each story confronts pain without blanching but finds delicious absurdity in experience. Hemon made his name writing stories, and this collection surpasses anything he has written to date. 'Hemon is a world-class writer or seismic depth, riptide humour, wine-dark language and unflinching candour' — Booklist. 'An original who owes no debts to anyone' — Patrick McGrath.

Zahra, aged 3, and Hawra, just a few months old were the only survivors of a missile strike in Baghdad in 2003. Their parents and their five siblings all died. Unable to have children herself, Hala Jaber, an award-winning foreign correspondent, was determined to do all she could to help them. Sent to Iraq by The Sunday Times to cover the war, the last thing she expected was to find herself trying to save two little girls who had lost everything. But what happened next tells us far more about that conflict than any news bulletin ever could. Being a Lebanese Muslim, as well as the employee of a London paper, Hala is in the privileged position of being able to straddle two very different worlds and explain one to the other, and her beautifully written and deeply moving account affords a genuinely fresh insight into the Iraq war and its terrible human cost. The praise for The Flying Carpet to Baghdad include: 'I read the book in one sitting and confess I cried more than once. Jaber's story doesn't tie it all up with a neat pink ribbon, but it is all the more telling and universal for that' — The Sunday Times. 'Nothing I have read compares to Hala Jaber's mesmerizing account of how her longing for a baby drew her into an intense, often agonizing, involvement with two little Iraqi sisters orphaned by a U.S missile strike' — The Daily Mail. 'Far from the usual gung-ho memoirs by war correspondents, this is a heart-rending and highly personal story by an incredibly brave woman' — Christina Lamb, author of The Africa House and The Sewing Circles of Herat.

Jimmy Luntz owes money to a man called Juarez. Trouble is, Juarez isn`t the most patient of men. And when he gets bored of waiting, he sends someone round to collect. Luntz doesn`t actually plan to shoot the guy, but the way he sees it, it`s shoot or be shot. Either way, though, Luntz is out of his league, and he knows it.

Lynda Graham has been fortunate in life. She is happily married, with two wonderful children, Ciaran and Katie. She has a beautiful home and garden in one of the most affluent suburbs of Dublin. Her world feels safe and uncomplicated, one she now takes for granted. That is until Jon, a friend of Ciaran's from university — handsome, charming and clever — inveigles his way into their lives. There's something about Jon that Lynda finds unnerving — he is almost too perfect. And her instinct is right: Jon's arrival sets in motion a spiral of events that contributes to the gradual disintegration of all she holds dear. When Jon leaves, his disappearance is even more destructive than his presence. Lynda's quest to track him down reveals unpalatable truths about his past and the reason for his existence in their lives. Lynda knows that Jon is out there somewhere — watching, waiting, malevolent. And she also knows that she must do whatever it takes to protect the most precious thing she has — her family. 'Dunne has a clever knack of turning ordinary lives into compelling fiction' — Irish Post.

The Day of the Dead. El Dia de los Muertos. That time of the year when Mexico celebrates its lost loved ones. But two people aren't celebrating. Nick Vargas, a disgraced newspaper reporter, now true crime writer, seeks the truth behind the slaughter of nuns in a house near the Texas border. And Hannah Freeman, a beautiful prosecuting attorney on holiday from Southern California has lost someone very precious to her — her younger sister, Jen, has disappeared without trace in Ensenada, Mexico. The realization that a sinister cult is at work and that they are behind Jen's disappearance leads them to a small town in Mexico full of dark secrets and deadly rituals, and a series of haunted caves, where something or someone lurks. Watching them. Waiting for the right moment to strike.

The Political Gene is a fascinating examination of the way that many scientists and politicians have sought to use Charles Darwin's ideas to solve social problems, or to bolster political ideologies. Sewell's beautifully crafted narrative shows us what drove people to put a black man on display in a zoo, forcibly sterilize a pair of innocent teenage sisters, lock up a British girl for eighteen years for a petty theft, murder disabled people in Nazi Germany, and slam shut America's 'Golden Door'. In a world where the gene becomes ever more central, the fresh and stimulating arguments in The Political Gene make this an explosive, essential, and utterly intriguing book. 'An accessible, thought-provoking book that refuses to adopt pre-determined battle lines in an argument that looks set to continue raging' — Metro, Non-Fiction of the Week. ' The Political Gene by Dennis Sewell is the only one of the Darwin books that actually explains what really matters — the consequences of the adoption of his theory for the conduct of human affairs' — Evening Standard, Books of the Year. '[This] chilling study reveals how Darwinism became a justification for hateful ideologies' — Sunday Times. 'Scholarly and shocking' — GQ. 'The best book to have come out of the Darwin centenary' — Word Magazine.

Notorious party-loving, 'It Girl' Lyric Charlton has it all — the lineage, the looks and the lifestyle. A moneyed upbringing at the heart of one of the upper class' most well-connected families, a finishing school education and an address book bursting with the world's most powerful and high-profile people has crowned her the glamorous poster girl for the aristocratic glitterati. But when her doomed relationship with suave boy-about-town, Ralph Conway means she takes the good times too far, she is packed off to rehab by her worried parents, and the public shame and private humiliation that follow means Lyric's only option seems to be to retreat into sober obscurity. But what no one can predict is the dramatic chain of events her exile sets in motion. For Lyric's treatment is the start of much more than a life as an ex-addict. It's the catalyst that exposes a complex web of deceit and betrayal — and leads Lyric on an increasingly dangerous quest to find the final missing piece of the jigsaw of her life.

Romance dominates Crombie's 13th contemporary procedural featuring Scotland Yarders Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid, who are on the verge of getting married (after 2008's Where Memories Lie). The how, where and when of their wedding proves a considerable source of stress to both, overshadowing the murder investigation of Naz Malik, a solicitor suspected in the disappearance of his wife, Sandra Gilles, an artist specializing in textile collage. Malik was found suffocated in Bethnal Green, with traces of an animal tranquilizer in his system. Meanwhile, James's mother is seriously ill, placing James in the impossible position of trying to fulfill both her familial and work responsibilities. In addition, James must fight to keep Malik's now parentless young daughter from falling into the custody of Sandra's unsavory relatives. Hopefully, Crombie will provide a better balance of police work and her characters' personal lives next time.

Chloe needs a holiday. She's sick of making wedding dresses, her partner Philip has troubles at work, and the whole family wants a break. Her wealthy friend Gerard has offered the loan of his luxury villa in Spain — perfect. Hugh is not a happy man. His wife Amanda seems more interested in her new kitchen than in him, and he works so hard to pay for it, he barely has time for his children. Maybe he'll have a chance to bond with them on holiday. His old friend Gerard has lent them a luxury villa in Spain — perfect. Both families arrive at the villa and get a shock — Gerard has double-booked. An uneasy week of sharing begins, and tensions soon mount in the soaring heat. But there's a secret history between the families — and as tempers fray, an old passion begins to resurface...

A truly inspiring and humbling novel, Ken Follet successfully transports you back to a time where religion rules and perseverance and subordination are the key to survival. This book is a page turner, and at over 1000 pages long it still seems to fly by and is all over too soon. It follows the story of Tom Builder a master mason and the trials of his family as they follow his dream of building a great Cathedral in 12th Century Britain. Meeting many many characters along the way, not least the Prior Phillip who has his own story to tell and whose morality and dedication to the priory he serves is both admirable and frustrating in equal measures.

«It is the 1870s and twin brothers Sean and Garrick Courtney are born into the wilds of Natal. They could not be more different, and fate, war and the jealous schemes of a woman are to drive them even further apart. But as history unfolds, a continent is awakening. And on the horizon is the promise of fortune, adventure, destiny and love...'The world's leading adventure writer' — «Daily Express» 'The pace would do credit to a Porsche, and the invention is as bright and explosive as a fireworks display' — «Sunday Telegraph». ' ...action follows action ...mystery is piled on mystery ...tales to delight the millions of addicts of the gutsy adventure story' — «Sunday Express». ' ...a natural storyteller who moves confidently and often splendidly in his period and sustains a flow of convincing incident' — «The Scotsman».»

'Only once in his life had Sean met a man whose strength matched his own -- and now, again, they were pitted against each other ...Sean Courtney, impulsive adventurer of When the Lion Feeds returns from the wildnerness a rich man -- until he is robbed by the Boers of his wagons, his gold and the girl he loves. A grim homecoming finds his country in the cruel grip of war. But in the bloody days ahead, conflicts within his family will prove far more bitter than any fought on the veld ...'The world's leading adventure writer' Daily Express 'The pace would do credit to a Porsche, and the invention is as bright and explosive as a fireworks display' Sunday Telegraph ' ...action follows action ...mystery is piled on mystery ...tales to delight the millions of addicts of the gutsy adventure story' Sunday Express ' ...a natural storyteller who moves confidently and often splendidly in his period and sustains a flow of convincing incident' The Scotsman

«When physics teacher Jonathan Derry is unwittingly given some computer tapes containing a bookie-breaking betting system, his sharp-shooting abilities come in extremely handy against the thug who comes looking for them. Fourteen years later, Jonathan's brother William is about to fall victim to the same thug. But this time, William is determined to play a cautious and crafty game. After all, once bitten...'An extraordinary thriller...Evil is real here. Nails are for biting' — «Evening Standard».»

From the master storyteller, this is a startling new thriller set amidst the Danish Resistance. It is June 1941 and Denmark is under German occupation. On the rocky coast of Denmark, two brothers, Harald and Arne Olufsen are straining against the rigid confines imposed by their elderly parents. Meanwhile, a network of MI6 spies is attempting to decipher an encrypted Luftwaffe radio signal which mentions the new Freya-Ger't — a rudimentary form of German radar equipment. Arne's relationship with Hermia Mount, an MI6 analyst draws him into underground politics, putting him under surveillance by the Danish security forces — and by one man in particular who has a personal motive to see Arne fall. It is only a matter of time before the brothers' paths converge in a united effortto overcome the Nazis. A disused Hornet Moth biplane is their only means of getting a vital message to the British.

This is the question that troubles hotshot young FBI agent Judy Maddox in Ken Follet's hold-your-breath new thriller. Judy's boss has a grudge against her, so he gives her a dumb assignment: to investigate an anonymous threat from a group that claims that it can trigger earthquakes. Judy's research leads her to maverick seismologist Michael Quercus, who tells her it is possible for an earthquake to be caused deliberately. And when a tremor in a remote desert area shows signs of being machine-generated, Judy knows he was right. But who is responsible for the earthquake? Judy must find out before another tremor strikes. Helped by the erratic but attractive Michael, she races to pinpoint the terrorists' next target before they trigger the ultimate disaster. With The Hammer of Eden Ken Follett is at the top of his form, delivering a state-of-the-art suspense thriller to rival his best work. 'Crackles with suspense.' Daily Telegraph 'So exciting I found myself setting the alarm clock for four in the morning to finish it.'

«These fourteen stories show Jeffrey Archer's great skills with a wide variety of character, of subject and of setting, but all with that trademark twist in the tail. Every reader will have their own favourites: the choices run from love at first sight across the train tracks to the cleverest of confidence tricks, from the quirks of the legal profession — and those who are able to manipulate both sides of the Bar — to the creative financial talents of a member of Her Majesty's diplomatic service — but for a good cause. The last story, «The Grass is Always Greener», is possibly the best piece Archer has written, and will haunt you for the rest of your life.»

«Mason «Mace» Perry was a maverick cop on the D.C. police force until she was kidnapped and framed for a crime. She lost everything — her career, her liberty — and spent two years in prison. Now back on the outside, Mace is trying to rebuild her life and track down the people who set her up. But even with her police chief sister at her side, she has to work in the shadows: there's a vindictive US attorney on her tail and she's just looking for a reason to send her back behind bars ...Roy Kingman is a young lawyer, still getting used to his high-paid job at a law firm in Washington. When Roy discovers the dead body of a female partner at the firm, his fate becomes entangled with Mace's, as the two team up to investigate. But as their enquiries gather pace, Roy and Mace soon find themselves in unexpected territory; drawn into both the private and public world of the nation's capital, as dark secrets begin to emerge. For what began as a fairly routine homicide investigation will quickly turn into something far more complex. And possibly lethal...»